February 1736

Feb. 3.

14. Treasury warrant for the execution of a warrant from the Duke of Grafton to the Duke of Montagu for the provision of furniture, detailed, at an estimate of 1615l., for His Majesty's use at St. James's, Kensington, and in the Carolina yacht, including inter al. items for the French chapel at St. James's, Baron Hattorff, Lady Bell Finch, Mrs. Purcell, Mrs. Swinton, and two leather cushions for the Duke's dogs.[Lord Chamberlain's Warrant Book II. pp. 41–3.]

1735–6.Feb. 3.

15. Treasury warrant confirming execution of a warrant from the Duke of Grafton to the Duke of Montagu for the provision of furniture at St. James's, Richmond, Kew, Kensington, Hampton Court, the House of Peers and House of Commons, all detailed at an estimate of 1,415l.[Lord Chamberlain's Warrant Book II. pp. 43–5.]

Feb. 3.

16. J. Scrope to the Commissioners of Wine Licences for an account of the laws, if any, relating to the revenues under their management, which are expired or near expiring and which may require legislative re-enactment.The like severally to the Commissioners respectively for Salt duties, Hawkers and Pedlars, Hackney Coaches, Stamp duties, Customs and Excise. [Letter Book XIX. p. 397.]

Feb. 6.At Mr.Chancellorof theExchequer'sHouse inDowningStreet.

17. Present: Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir George Oxenden, Lord Sundon.Edward Berkeley, tide surveyor at Portsmouth, to be appointed coast waiter, loco Brown Berney, preferred.Order for the issue of 7,000l. to the Cofferer of the Household in further part of 1735, Christmas quarter's expense.Mr. Lowther is to pay the fees for the 100l. issued in the name of Samuel Barnesley for the persons going to Ireland to improve the woollen manufacture.Mr. Arnall is to be paid 400l. by Mr. Lowther, as royal bounty.The memorial of the Paymaster of the Forces of 1735–6, February 4, containing Sir Joseph Eyles's proposal for remitting the subsistence to Minorca and Gibraltar, 1735–6, February 24, to 1736, April 24, read and agreed to as follows, the rate of exchange being certified to be as usual, viz.:—16,600 dollars for Minorca at sight in gold at 55d. per dollar; 24,750 dollars for Gibraltar at sight in gold at 54½d. per dollar.[Treasury Minute Book XXVII. p. 369.]

Feb. 10.

18. Petition to the Treasury from the barbers and periwig makers concerning the damage done to their trade by the Act 4 Geo. II., to prevent frauds in the excise on starch, which Act is extended to prevent petitioners using flour in dressing wigs. “Their trade is reduced so low by the wear of brown Bob wigs of a small price, which require much powder and time to comb them nice, that those amongst them who make wigs only and use starch powder, must pray an abatement of duty on starch or they can't subsist, not being able to earn with the same number of hands one-third they did before this fashion was introduced: that those who shave as well as make wigs are 99 to one of the other and must be ruined, not having the pay of the meanest labourer for fetching and carrying the wigs of their quarterly customers, beside the expense of powder, and it is impossible to advance their prices.” Pray relief by a reduction of the duty. Referred to the Commissioners of Excise.[Reference Book X. p. 66.]

Feb. 13.

19. Accounts, as follow, delivered in by the Commissioners of Excise to the House of Commons 1735, February 13.(a.) Duties arising by licensing of retailers of compound spirits. 1 page.(b.) Statement of the income of sundry duties, New Subsidy, Half-Subsidy, 2/3 tunnage, ⅓ tunnage, Wines, Tobacco, East India goods, Additional Impositions, &c., &c., in 1735, Christmas quarter, as compared with 1734, Christmas quarter. 1 page.(c.) Same of the medium of the accounts of the duties on low wines, spirits and brandy, rum, and other imported spirits with a medium of the surplus on those funds for the same time. In duplicate. 2 pages.[Treasury Board Papers CCXCI. No. 14.]

Feb. 20.

20. J. Scrope to the Commissioners of Customs concerning complaints at Yarmouth of the evasion of the 36th section of the Act 14 Charles II., for preventing frauds and regulating abuses in the customs. Instead of exporting fish of British or Plantation taking and curing, merchants have freighted ships to the Mediterranean with stock fish caught by foreigners, and on the return of such ships the goods imported in them have escaped the one per cent. duty as under the 35th section of the said Act. This latter section of the Act is also evaded by ships only making up their full complement of men on their return. Their Lordships therefore desire a draft of an explanatory clause proper to be passed this Session to obviate the above for the future.[Customs Book XIV. pp. 158–9.]

Feb. 20.

21. Endorsement by the Treasury and the Bank of England of the contract between the said two parties for the circulation of 600,000l. in Exchequer bills on malt 1736, with an interest or premio of 3l. per cent. per annum.[Warrants not relating to Money XXV. p. 367.]

Feb. 26.Whitehall,TreasuryChambers.

22. Present: Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Dodington, Sir George Oxenden, Lord Sundon.Order for the issue to the Cofferer of the Household of 10,920l. to complete 33,920l. for the expense of that office 1735, Christmas quarter.Order for a sign manual for satisfying Sollicoffre's bill of exchange payable to Abraham Benidez for 500l. in the usual manner, “this being the only bill of Sollicoffre's which remains unsatisfied.”Lord Lymington's letter of the 15th instant inclosing a petition to him from the minister, churchwardens, and inhabitants of Lyndhurst, New Forest, for 41 loads of timber and 300l. in money to be employed in repairing the King's chapel at Lyndhurst, now decayed and ruinous, to be referred to the Surveyor General of Woods.A copy of a petition in the name of the Acting Commissioners of land tax in the Duchy Liberty in the Strand read concerning the re-assessments made in consequence of the great reduction of rents in and the ruinous condition of the Savoy, and praying an allowance for the tax of Somerset House and other houses there, etc. (ut supra, 1733, p. 421). “My Lords say this precinct or division, notwithstanding these re-assessments, may not be overcharged, reckoning the tax to be levyed as it ought to be according to the rackrents within the same.”[Treasury Minute Book XXVII. p. 370; Letter Book XIX. p. 397.]

Feb. 27.

23. Articles of agreement between the Treasury and Thos. Revell, contractor, for the building of new victualling storehouses, dwelling-houses and a bakehouse, at Gibraltar, at a cost of 12,000l.[Warrants not relating to Money XXV. pp. 340–3.]